A variety of state and local races will be decided Tuesday when voters head to the polls for the general election.
County races up for grabs include three supervisor seats, sheriff, coroner and chancery clerk. The 16th Circuit district attorney’s race will also be decided by voters in Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee counties.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Circuit clerks’ offices will be open until noon Saturday for in-person absentee voting.
Deputy Circuit Clerk Anne Marie Higgins told The Dispatch 906 absentee votes had been received by noon Friday, and about 120 were still out in the mail.
“The Democrats are really pushing in the governor’s race, and there are several local races on the ballot, too,” said Circuit Clerk Teresa Barksdale. “But I think it’s mostly the governor’s race that’s really pulling people in.”
The governor’s race is tightly contested, with incumbent Republican Tate Reeves attempting to prevail against Democrat and Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley. Recent polls show Reeves with a 1% lead over Presley.
Three supervisor races will be decided. In District 1, Republican Matt Furnari faces Democrat Tommy Lee Kidd. Furnari is a businessman and is in his second term as an alderman in Caledonia. Kidd is a longtime Lowndes County Road Department manager.
Incumbent Harry Sanders did not seek reelection.
In the District 3 race, Republican businessman Andy Williamson will face independent challenger Christopher Moore, a volunteer firefighter who works for the county road department.
Incumbent John Holliman did not seek reelection.
Incumbent Democrat Leroy Brooks will face independent challenger Tiffany Turner in the District 5 race. Neither faced an opponent in the primary.
Incumbent Coroner Greg Merchant, a Republican, will face Democratic challenger Leonard Williams Jr., and incumbent Republican Cindy Goode is running against Democrat Andre Deforest Roberts for chancery clerk.
In the DA race, incumbent two-term Democrat Scott Colom will face Republican Jase Dalrymple. Dalrymple narrowly defeated Republican challenger Chuck Easely in the primary, while Colom did not have an opponent.
In legislative races, incumbent District 41 Representative Kabir Karriem, a Democrat, will square off against Libertarian challenger Claude Simpson. The only other contested legislative race in Lowndes County is District 42, in which incumbent Democrat Carl Mickens will run against Libertarian Shantell Stevens.
Statewide races include governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, auditor, treasurer, insurance commissioner and commissioner for agriculture and commerce.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 29 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 29 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion